Raging Tempests
by Biscuit15
Summary: What if Gokudera had gotten to the antidote before Bel during the Sky Battle? How would Xanxus treat that weakness after his own loss? Bel could never have expected for his boss to take his anger out on him worse than he had with Squalo or even Levi - was he the failure his family had always told him he was? Xanxus suddenly seemed to think that way. XB Xanxus x Bel
1. Chapter 1

To say that the Sky Battle hadn't gone as the Varia had expected it to was an understatement; the poison from the wristwatches the participants had been handed had been unforeseen, much less the effect it had had on them all – it was supposed to be a quick and easy slaughter, but instead it had been a fight for their own lives as well.

With the Vongola Rings being key to the antidote, it had been a relief for the Varia's youngest member to see the Storm Ring being knocked down into the corridor he was trapped within. However, as pleased as Belphegor had been, it soon became clear that whatever they had been drugged with was too much for him to even be able to crawl forwards and grab it; he could do nothing but watch as his opponent snatched it up for himself, the silver-haired male taking the antidote component and leaving the other alone on the ground.

The Varia Storm could only lie there, waiting impatiently for someone – anyone – to come back, but after what felt like an eternity, it soon became clear that it was mostly wishful thinking; if anyone was going to come back for him, they should have done it by now.

The commotion from the courtyard could easily be heard from where he was situated, and Bel couldn't help but wonder what side was winning; if it were his own, would someone come back for him after victory? He was an invaluable asset, but if he had been bested here and now through a battle of strength...

The odds of his teammates coming to look for him weren't very high.

As expected, it hadn't even been one of his own that had found him; it was the Vongola Rain who had noticed the lack of manpower for the other team and had taken it upon himself to see if the blond was okay or not, knowing how painful it had been to have the poison coursing through one's system; it wasn't in his nature to leave someone to suffer, especially not when he believed they were simply playing a game they had won.

Barely conscious from the draining effects, the blond could do nothing but growl weakly as he felt hands on his shoulders. He was rolled onto his back, unable to comprehend what was being said from above him; were they even talking to him or not? Trying to blink the haze from his eyes, Bel could hardly see who had gathered around him – the only thing that made the slightest sense was when one of them pushed him into a sitting position and then picked him up from the ground, carrying him out of the corridor.

Unable to do anything but lean limp against whoever had hold of him, the boy let his eyes slip closed, a soft keen escaping his lips; he knew that being vulnerable before someone else could lead to his messy end, but did he really have a choice right now? He could barely move his own limbs; he had no hope of defending himself against this unwanted action – he would rather be left alone to die than have to rely on the enemy for their help, his princely pride too great for this.

Powerless to stop his head from lolling onto the shoulder of whoever had him, Bel soon became conscious of the cold wind blowing against his quivering body. He tried to force his head up to see what was happening, but he didn't have the strength; all he could do was listen as the familiar voice of Mammon filled the air.

"I was curious as to why I hadn't seen Bel anywhere." The accustomed feel of the Arcobaleno's tiny fingers brushed against the bandages on the Storm Guardian's hand, her soft voice echoing through her comrade's head. Bel whimpered and tried to move closer to the only sense of normality in this situation, only to hiss and fall back as the pain in his body flared angrily.

"Gokudera, give him the antidote."

"Fuck off!"

Bel sighed at the sound of arguing, having not expected for his Vongola counterpart to give him the antidote; he wouldn't have done it, either. He tried to say something, only to have his words come out in an unintelligible murmur, causing further distress to him; he was so used to being in control of himself, it was frightening to have to rely on others like this.

"Gokudera, give it to him; it's hurting him."

Trying to focus on Mammon's small hand, Bel sucked in a sharp breath as his body started convulsing, the pain in his upper right abdomen took over his senses as a tsunami of nausea washed over him. Fighting it back, the boy was barely aware of someone grabbing his hand and slipping the ring into the wristwatch, activating the antidote – but even as minutes passed and the Varia member's obvious distress only worsened, it became clear that for whatever reason, the antidote wasn't working for the blond.

"I think he needs a hospital; he's not looking any better."

Bel recognised the Rain Guardian's voice, uncertain of whether or not he was hearing genuine compassion; in a profession such as his, it was rare to encounter anything but hate and pain, having ever-so-rarely received kindness from _anyone_ – it was kill or be killed for him, and that was what he liked.

"He'll be fine." As always, Mammon didn't seem bothered by what was happening. "Hospitals cost money; if he needs one, he'll be taken back to our own private wing to be seen."

Unsure of who had grabbed him next, Bel flinched when rough, careless hands yanked him from the gentle hold he had slowly been getting used to. He tensed further, his already-racing heart beating faster in fright as he realised his boss had been the one to grab him; he already feared the man on any given day, and he knew that with having lost this fight, the other would be in a worse mood than usual – anything could be done to him in this state, and he had no means to protect himself.

"Should leave the trash to curl up and die," Xanxus snarled, his fingers curling painfully into his subordinate's body. Bel keened at the pain, his breaths coming in short, harsh pants. "He shouldn't have lost that fucking ring to the bomb trash. He's weak."

Feeling as if he could throw up when he was shaken violently, Bel moaned in distress, wishing his body would just give in already; his pride had been damaged, and he didn't want to know what the other would do to him for his failure – he had never lost before, so he had no idea what to expect from the man he greatly looked up to.

"No!"

A strangled sound escaped Bel's lips as he was thrown to the cement beneath them, certain he could feel his brain swishing around inside his skull from the impact; he had never felt so dizzy, and he wondered if that was blood he could feel in his hair.

"Xanxus, don't!"

Bel lifted his eyes, finding the barrel of a gun pointing straight at him. He knew it was aimed between his eyes, a sure sign that Xanxus wanted him dead. Bracing himself for what he knew was inevitable, Bel cracked open his eyes when nothing happened after a few seconds.

Finding that the Rain Guardian had gotten in between them, Bel let himself faint; his head felt like it was splitting from his sudden ache, and his entire body felt as if it were on fire – while he had always had a very high pain tolerance, this was worse than anything he had been able to comprehend _existed_.

Lying motionless on the ground, Bel was limp as someone picked him up again, carrying him away from the battlefield. A trail of blood followed behind from the wound on his head, but that didn't compare to what his body was going through; whatever poison he had been given was enough to make him feel worse than he ever had before, and that coupled with the fact that he knew he was going to be punished, made him want to die for the first time in his life.

Was it normal for him to be feeling so confused? More emotional than he normally was? He didn't know if it was from the injury to his head or from the poison, but Bel truly didn't feel like himself, and it terrified him to his very core; never before had he felt so lost and out of control, and he _didn't like it. _


	2. Chapter 2

Belphegor wasn't sure how long had passed before he woke again, but when his hazy eyes settled on the white walls around him, he knew he was in an infirmary. It wasn't the one situated at Varia Headquarters, and it made the blond wonder; where they still in Japan, or had they arrived back in Italy during his unconscious period?

"You're awake."

Flinching at the unfamiliar voice next to him, Bel rolled his head to the side to find another blond sitting next to him, one that he knew was the head of the Chiavarone Family, Dino Cavallone. He had never spoken to his man before, but he had been present when Squalo had negotiated with him several times previously, having learnt about the other's mannerisms – however, just because the other had _seemed _nice then didn't mean he was safe alone with Dino.

Opening his mouth slowly, Bel tried to speak, but his voice only came out in a slurred, unintelligible mumble. He frowned at this, wincing as pain flared in the back of his head. Reaching up to touch his hair, he was surprised by the IVs and cords that were sticking out of his arm, having not noticed any of it until now.

Come to think of it... His arm was hurting as well, and he knew it shouldn't be; there had been no physical damage isolated to such a small area of the limb, so why... Looking down, his obscured eyes narrowed at the thick tube disappearing beneath his flesh. He didn't understand how it had gotten in there, his mind far too hazy to put together the fact that it had been surgically inserted - he couldn't help but let his head spin, unable to put information together properly, something he had never had a problem with before, even in his worst conditions.

Looking over to the machine the tube was attached to, Bel tried to ask what it was, only to mumble incomprehensible nonsense again.

Dino chuckled, his eyes as soft as ever; the nurse had already informed him of the possibility of brain damage - Bel may have stood a chance if it had just been the poison coursing through his system, but having had his head cracked open the way he had... It had only increased the chance. "That's a dialysis machine, Belphegor."

Bel knew he had once understood what that meant, but now he could only blink as he tried to remember what dialysis was. Giving up after just a few seconds, Bel felt as if he could cry; he didn't like all of this confusion in his head, frightened by it - it was so unfamiliar, so daunting, and he had never thought he would be in this position before.

Trying to ask what else had happened to him, the boy could only let out a frustrated growl as he realised he wasn't going to be able to speak clearly any time soon – hopefully that was only temporary and would be dealt with shortly.

"Your comrades didn't like the idea of a hospital, so I brought you here myself," Dino explained, wishing he knew how to help the younger; he had taken pity on the blond after seeing the way the other Varia members had just thrown him around when it was so clear he was badly hurt. "I'm paying for your bills and supervising your care myself; I didn't want to leave you with _them – _not after the way Xanxus had treated you."

The truth was, Bel hadn't been able to understand much of what Dino was saying; it wasn't that he couldn't hear the Chiavarone boss correctly, it was simply as if he had been abandoned in a foreign country where he had no understanding of their language, unable to even guess what they were saying to him.

However, what Bel did hear loud and clear was Xanxus' name, and it sent a shiver of fear through him, remembering how the other had acted. Had Xanxus been right to do that to him? He had always had a one-hundred per cent success rate when it came to his missions, no matter how bad a state he came back to Varia in – this was the first time he had lost, and to such an insignificant factor...

The boy had suffered worse things than poison before and still managed to do what he had been told to accomplish; he had finished missions he had been tortured for information on, ones where he had been shot and stabbed and beaten – even a mission where he had been ambushed, captured and raped, though he would take that information to his grave.

Why had _poison... _such a little thing... been what had brought him down like this? It was no wonder Xanxus was furious with him; he, the prodigy, the _genius _of Varia... Useless. Absolutely _useless_, and when it mattered the most...

Turning his head to the side, Bel couldn't stop the frown crossing his face. He wanted to roll onto his side and show his back to Dino, but he could barely find the strength to make such a movement; all he could do was hope that by looking away from his fellow blond, Dino would get the message and leave him be.

"You should try and get some more rest, Belphegor; the toxin almost killed you." Dino folded his arms against his chest, crossing his leg over his knee as he relaxed. "The nurses managed to stabilise you, but they think you're going to be in here for a while; a lot of your organs were on the verge of failing. You did better than expected against it, though; you lasted longer than the half-hour that was specified."

Trying to understand why Dino was here and helping him, Bel couldn't put two-and-two together – not in this state; his head was spinning, and his thoughts were too jumbled to pick apart properly, jumping from one thing to another. He cried out as a sudden splitting pain travelled through his head, reaching up to grab at his bloodstained golden locks, unable to recognise the feel of a bandage beneath his fingers; all he knew was that whatever was on his head was not supposed to be there.

"Belphegor, try and relax." Dino reached out, grabbing the younger's hand in his in order to pull it back down to the bed; it wouldn't do to have the other pulling at the bandage and exposing the deep, open wound on his head to infection. "You need rest. You've been through enough."

Belphegor tossed his head side-to-side as his body convulsed with pain, gasps escaping his lips as his eyes widened, feeling the bile rising up his throat. He choked and spluttered on it before he was rolled onto his side, the vomit dirtying the hospital bed as it came to rest beside him.

"Belphegor..." Dino hated seeing the boy like this, wishing he could do something to help, but it was hard to sympathise with Bel while knowing the things the smaller blond did; Dino was a mafia boss who had seen many things in his life, and as kind a heart as he had, he found it hard to open it completely to those who were no better than the people whose actions haunted his dreams at night.

Dino did care about what Bel was going through, but he couldn't say he would be torn up about it if the other were to die from what had happened to him - not when Bel was the kind of person the adult disliked.

The older blond couldn't _completely _feel bad about the fact that he knew he was going to have to hand the Storm Guardian back to Varia once he was well enough to go home, and whatever happened to Belphegor from then on wasn't his problem – he'd have to trust that the Varia member was still strong enough to survive in that squad, because he wasn't going to take the youngest back to his own famiglia, not when he couldn't trust the boy to not kill anyone.

Whatever Xanxus was going to do to him was going to happen because Dino wasn't going to involve himself any further in the problems of the Varia.


	3. Chapter 3

It had taken a few weeks for Bel to get out of the hospital, and he spent a few more days staying in Japan with Yamamoto whilst Tsuna worked out how to contact Varia to ask what was going to be done with the Storm Guardian; it had truly upset the brunet to know that they had abandoned their comrade and returned to Italy without a single thought to him - the least they could have done was organise something beforehand.

Though it had taken a lot on his behalf, Tsuna had eventually gotten Squalo to agree to send out their personal jet to collect Bel – it wasn't that the Vongola didn't _want _the boy, but after seeing the damage the blond had been left with…

Tsuna wasn't sure if he would be able to look after someone who had once sought to kill them all.

"Careful, Belphegor…" Tsuna chewed at his lip as he led the boy through the busy airport of Namimori, trying to find where Squalo had said the jet would be landing. Yamamoto and Gokudera were with them, and though the tallest of the trio was perfectly fine with the Varia Storm's presence, the same couldn't be said for the silver-haired male.

Bel shuddered as hands grabbed him, steadying him before he fell over. He growled as he tried to push Tsuna away, only to feel his chest heave in distress as he realised that all he had managed to accomplish was shove at the empty space next to the younger, nowhere near touching the Vongola Decimo.

"Ne, Bel, try not to exert yourself so much." Yamamoto was as approachable and caring as ever, viewing the smaller boy as his friend now that the 'game' was over and done with. He smiled as he reached out, putting his hand on the older male's shoulder to pull the other closer. "The doctor said for you to take it easy, remember?"

Bel blinked, most of these words going over his head. He frowned, standing still as he tried so hard to say what he wanted to; he wanted to tell the others that he was fine and didn't need their concerns, but he could hardly piece together that sentence in his own mind, much less say it out loud.

"…" Licking his lips, Bel uttered a quiet, "Brine…"

"'Brine'?" The Vongola trio looked at each other in confusion, not understanding what Bel was talking about; what on Earth could have had him talking about _water?_

The blond made an agitated noise, his lips twisting into a sneer as he became more frustrated at himself than he already was. Trying again, he said, "Dine."

"I think he's trying to say that he's fine," Yamamoto pointed out, receiving a nod in response from Bel. "He's been talking like this a lot since he's been staying with me; I'm getting good at understanding him, Tsuna."

Tsuna smiled shyly at his friend as he nodded, glad to have someone as sweet and understanding as Yamamoto as his friend. "You are, Yamamoto… Think the Varia are going to be okay with him like this?"

"Sure, they will be!" Yamamoto laughed, thinking about the good inside the others only _he _could see and didn't actually exist in the first place – he didn't want to imagine sending his new friend off to someone who wouldn't want to deal with him, so he was _sure _the Varia could have their nice sides, just like everyone else in the world. "Bel's sweet; how can they _not _love him, Tsuna?"

Tsuna frowned at this, turning to see the blond holding a knife out towards Gokudera for reasons he must have missed – _that _was supposed to be a sweet boy?

Reaching out to take the knife from the other, Tsuna fumbled over his own words, hoping no one had noticed them; he didn't want to have to deal with others getting involved in this whole ordeal when he just wanted to go home and deny everything about the mafia like usual. "A-ah, Belphegor…! No knives here!"

Bel growled something at Tsuna the younger didn't understand, not sure what the blond was trying to say to him; too many substituted words and omissions made it hard to guess what the Varia Guardian was talking about, though knowing Bel, it was probably nothing nice.

Tsuna and his friends stayed back at this, not surprised when the boy started walking again, his frown growing as he looked all around him, almost as if he didn't understand where he was. He staggered noticeably, almost falling several times and growling at the strangers whom either caught him before he hit the ground, or had him tumbling against them; this was just too much for him, and no matter how hard he was searching, he couldn't find the way to go back home.

"He's just pacing around in circles…" Tsuna felt so sorry for the blond, unable to understand why Bel had been the only one to suffer damage from the Ring Battle – they had all been given a large dose of the toxin, but none of _them _had anything to show for it; why was Bel…

Well, to be fair, he _had _had the poison flowing through his blood for a few hours, the antidote having not worked for him and been left to suffer until Dino had gotten him to a hospital – Bel hadn't died after the half-hour like they had been told would happen, so the poison must have attacked his body instead, weakening his system in order to finish him off for good.

Bel must have been strong enough to withstand the poison for as long as he had, but too weak to cope with it and recover in a better condition, leaving him what he was now.

"He was doing that with me, too," Yamamoto pointed out, remembering how vastly different the boy was compared to before the game had ended. "He's been scared and kept crying. I think he really wants to go back home."

"That's where we're trying to get him, Yamamoto…" Sighing, Tsuna started walking back towards the boy, watching as Bel tucked himself into a tight gap, seemingly trying to hide for some reason that was apparent only to him. Kneeling before the older male, the brunet offered a small, uncertain smile. "What's wrong, Belphegor?"

Bel hesitated to lift his head up to look at the younger, but when he did, Tsuna saw the tears trailing down the other's face. "…Go home…"

"We're trying to get you home, but we can't find where the jet is," the smallest teenager explained in a gentle tone, one that wasn't much different to what he used with Lambo. "If we can find the jet, you'll go home."

Hugging himself tight, Bel pressed himself harder against the wall behind him, dropping his head again. His trembling increased when Yamamoto and Gokudera approached him as well, his tears spilling again; he didn't understand why he was so frightened of this place, by so many people around him; never before had he had such a problem with these kinds of things, knowing he could protect himself if need be – but now, he felt too stressed to be able to cope; he wanted to go home and curl up in his bed and never come out again.

Tsuna really didn't know what to do, unused to dealing with this kind of behaviour; should they leave Bel here and continue looking for the jet? Or try and coax him out of hiding so he didn't run off if their backs were turned?

But then, before the brunet could even question his friends, a loud, familiar voice filled the air.

"Voi! You damn brats! Where the fuck have you been?!"

While Yamamoto simply laughed in joy, Gokudera and Tsuna tensed, not knowing what to expect from Varia's Rain; if Squalo had come to Japan to bring Belphegor back, and they had kept him waiting when he was already in a foul mood…

The swordsman might just end up slaughtering them here and now.

"Eh, S-squalo…!" Waving his hands in the air, Tsuna moved to hide Bel from view, knowing that if Squalo saw his charge like this, it would only agitate the man further; the blond was showing nothing but weakness, and that seemed to get people _killed _in Varia if their Sun Guardian was anything to go by. "W-we… We were having trouble finding the jet, and…!"

Squalo stomped towards the Vongola group, his dark eyes glaring at the three of them. "Voi! Do you have any fucking idea on how long you've kept us waiting?! You little shits, where the fuck is he?! I want to get back to Italy since I already had a fucking shitload of work I should have gotten done by now!"

Tsuna went to make up an excuse about Bel's absence, only to be knocked out of the way as the boy came flying out of his hiding place. Bel paid no heed to the man screaming at him; he simply closed the distance between them in order to wrap his arms tight around the Rain Guardian's body.

Squalo froze for a few seconds, knowing this was _far _from normal behaviour from the boy, but even so, he _hated _it; uncomfortable with touch – especially fucking _embraces _– the man grabbed hold of blond locks and tore him away, throwing him to the ground with a loud thud. "Voi! Don't fucking touch me, brat!"

The Vongola squeaked in horror as Bel pushed himself into a sitting position, clearly dazed from the assault. The Varia Storm slowly got to his feet, his frown larger than ever as he tried to get close to the man once again.

"Squalo, stop!" Tsuna tried to move forward to stop the attack, but he was too late; he was powerless as he watched the long-haired male elbow his subordinate in the face, knocking Bel to the ground again, this time with a steady stream of blood flowing from his nose and lips. "Squalo!"

"Get the fuck up!" Squalo nudged his fallen comrade with his boot none-too-gently. "Voi! Did you hear me! Get up!"

Bel whimpered as he tried to crawl away from his attacker, only to have the back of his jacket grabbed. He cried out as he was dragged closer to Squalo again, his mind hazy like usual; this _was _the same man who had recruited him into Varia all those years ago, right? But… Squalo had never really had reason to hit him before, much less _like _this…

Knowing he really _had _been worthless during the Sky Battle, Bel could only let himself slip; he had joined Varia to get away from those kinds of feelings, having been unable to cope any longer with the abuse he had gotten from his parents, and to be going through it all over again…

Bel had joined Varia to _prove _he wasn't useless, that there _was _worth to him, and now…

"Voi! Wait until Xanxus gets his fucking hands on you, you useless brat!" Squalo roared, grabbing a skinny wrist as he forced Bel to his feet. "Varia might have fuckin' won if it weren't for your pathetic ass getting in the way! Should kill you ourselves and replace you with someone who can actually win a fucking fight while poisoned! Pathetic!"

Bel whimpered as he tried to pull himself out of the grasp, only to be shaken so hard, he felt as if he could throw up. He couldn't do anything to stop himself from being dragged through the airport, crying at the thought of having to deal with Xanxus' rage - no matter how much he respected that man, Xanxus was honestly the only person in the world Belphegor was afraid of.

And in _this _condition, Bel felt a _lot _more fearful than normal.

_~~XX~~_

The two Varia members had spent the flight home in silence, Squalo napping from the lack of sleep he had been suffering lately, and Bel hugging his knees to his chest as he rocked back and forth in his seat, hoping that once he got home, he could go to his room without having to see Xanxus – it was wishful thinking, but still…

Bel just didn't want his fears of not being good enough to be confirmed by his beloved boss after so many years of proving he was worthy of his title as prince.

After having stepped into the Varia Headquarters, Bel had tried to sneak away from Squalo, only to have the other grab his hair and yank him towards the staircase. The boy yelped and tried to free himself, but he was too uncoordinated to even stay on his feet; he fell, and the swordsman didn't even stop to let him adjust himself – Squalo simply dragged him up four flights of stairs and through several corridors, ignoring the other's tears and incoherent pleads to be left alone.

"Voi!" Kicking open the door to Xanxus' office, Squalo threw the boy in front of him, uncaring for the way Bel hit the hardwood floor and skidded from the force. "Xanxus, I got the little fucker."

Xanxus turned away from the window he had been staring out of in order to glare at his second-in-charge. He waved his hand in a dismissive manner before he looked down at Bel, finding the other seemingly looking up at him in fear; the small body quivered intensely as the younger's mouth hung open in a panicked manner, his heavy breathing audible from on the other side of the office.

"Come." Remaining stoic as Bel simply lay where he had fallen, Xanxus turned back to Squalo, finding the other was about to walk out of the door. "Shark trash. Bring him to me."

Squalo mumbled something to himself as he stomped back to the Storm Guardian, grabbing Bel by the underarms and carrying him to their boss. "I think the brat's brain-dead or something, Xanxus; been acting like a fucking retard since I got him from the airport."

Xanxus did nothing but look down at the boy as Bel was dropped in his lap. They stared at each other for several seconds before the man dismissed Squalo again, waiting until they were alone before he spoke.

Reaching up, Xanxus grabbed his subordinate's face, his fingers digging into pale cheeks damp with tears. He forced the boy to look at him, his red eyes scrutinising every little detail.

"You think you won't get punished for such a piss-poor performance?" Xanxus growled, his voice light, yet deadly. "You're fucking wrong about that; Varia has no use for weaklings who can't even take a ring from a poisoned enemy. Look at you now; there's already _one _baby with us; we don't need another who has to be_ treated_ like one, too."

Bel whimpered as he tried to move closer to Xanxus, trying to get to the other's body heat; he didn't know why he wanted to be so close to the one causing him fear and pain, but all he could imagine was how comforting it would be to have the other keeping him warm, despite the things that were being said; if Yamamoto had made him feel safe, surely Xanxus – someone he knew very well – should make him feel most comfortable, right?

The Storm Guardian had never been one who sought out human contact when he didn't feel right, but lately, he hadn't been able to stay away from people for long, even back with the Vongola's baseball brat – never before had he thought he would want to lay next to someone with his head in their lap, but he had found himself doing that quite a lot with the young Rain Guardian.

Xanxus was intrigued by the way the boy wanted to get closer to him when he knew he was about to be punished; usually, that was when people tried to get as far away as they possibly could. He knew Bel had a masochistic streak perhaps bigger even than his sadistic side, but was this normal for even _Belphegor? _He had never punished the blond before, his subordinate having never fucked up enough to warrant one – was this simply him looking forward to being hurt, or something more?

Letting the boy do as he pleased, Xanxus couldn't help but stare at the other when he found Bel wanted to cuddle into him; the boy's stomach and chest pressed against his, smaller legs folded beneath him as stick-thin arms wrapped around the man's neck. What surprised the Varia leader the most was when Bel rested his head against his chest, seemingly listening to his heartbeat – this was _far _from masochistic; it was… simply a boy looking for comfort in the wrong person.

"Get the fuck off me, trash!" Xanxus roared, attempting to rip the younger off him, only to wonder why the blond refused to let go and instead tried to move even closer than before; Belphegor wasn't the type of boy who acted like this, but…

It was a change to his usual cold, psychopathic behaviour that wasn't entirely unwelcome, Xanxus found.

Not even sure of _why _he was letting the other remain like this, Xanxus reached past his personal leech in order to grab his bottle of wine from the desk he was sitting at. Blinking down at Bel when the youngest hiccupped, smaller fingers curling into the collar of Xanxus' white shirt, the Sky Guardian couldn't help but shrug.

"I'll kick the shit out of you another time, prince scum." Pulling the cork out of the bottle, Xanxus poured it into his awaiting glass. "You're fucking lucky I'm not in the mood."

Bel didn't seem to want to move any time soon; in fact, he seemed so content with where he was, the boy fell asleep just minutes later, exhausted from all the stress he had been under. Xanxus had since turned back to looking out of the window, and when one of his subordinates walked in and found them as they were, the man couldn't help but point his gun at them and threaten them into silence; he was a boss who lived up to his reputation, and he refused to have it tarnished by some snotnosed little brat who thought he could get away with treating his leader as a human teddy-bear.

If anyone _dared _treat Xanxus as if he had the tiniest piece of heart inside of him, they would be dead before they could even take back that assumption – Bel was simply still alive only because Xanxus just wasn't in the mood to punish his subordinate.


	4. Chapter 4

"Oh, Bel-chan, look~ at~ you~!" Lussuria couldn't help but gush at the result of his handiwork, squeezing his cheeks as he squealed in delight. He wriggled his rear as he stepped closer, admiring every inch of the boy sitting on his bed; he had long-since wanted to dress the Storm Guardian up like this, but Bel had often refused due to feeling embarrassed at the thought of what the others would say – now, he had simply stared at Lussuria when asked if the man could put a dress on him. "You are too~ cute~!"

Bel blinked beneath long bangs before he looked down at the dress the Sun Guardian had put on him. He tugged at it slowly before looking back up at the flamboyant man, his head cocked to the side; he didn't mind wearing a dress, but he didn't like being cooed over like this. "…"

"C'mon, hon, let's go show everyone~" Lussuria reached out, taking the smaller hand in his so that he could tug the boy along behind him. "Let's see what they say~"

Blinking again, it took a moment for the blond to understand what was being said, but once he realised, he reached out, picking up his Varia uniform that lay folded neatly by his side. It took a few attempts for him to successfully grab it instead of the vibrant orange comforter, but once he had it, he held it tight to him, blocking the view of the baby blue frill dress he was wearing instead. He stood up, looking at the roman sandals he decided he liked wearing, smiling softly as he became more comfortable with his new attire; he had always liked dresses, but not owning his own, he had never worn one until now.

"Ooh, hold on, hon~" Reaching into his pocket, Lussuria surfaced with a handful of hair ties. "Let's do your hair, too~"

Bel was placid as he allowed the man to put his hair in pigtails, accepting the blue hairband the older male retrieved from his personal bathroom. He played with the necklace that soon hung from his neck, allowing a bit of makeup to be put on his cheeks, and then finally, he was led out of the other's room.

The blond looked all around him as they walked towards the stairwell, Lussuria patiently moving slow with him so that the boy would stay upright; the Sun Guardian was the only one apart from Mammon who accepted what had happened and were more tolerant than usual with him, knowing it wasn't his fault this had happened.

"Do you need some help with the stairs, Bel-chan?" Lussuria stopped at the first step, knowing that if someone didn't help their youngest member, Bel would fall down the stairs again, his motor skills greatly damaged.

Shaking his head, Bel was as prideful as ever; he didn't want this kind of help, not when it was something he could do perfectly fine by himself. However, just because he had once been able to do it without problems didn't mean he still could; the boy plummeted with just one step, about to tumble forward if Lussuria hadn't grabbed him.

"Give me your hand, hon." Lussuria clasped the boy's hand tight in his, ignoring the way the younger whined and tried to pull away; he simply moved closer so that Bel was leaning against him, helping him down onto the first stair slowly.

It felt as if it had taken an eternity to get onto the ground floor since Bel didn't want to be picked up, but when they were standing on a flat surface once again, they went straight to the kitchen, knowing that most of the other core Varia members should be there already.

"Morning~" Stepping past the threshold, Lussuria was as cheerful as ever as he took notice of Squalo, Levi and Mammon seated at the dining table, the long-haired man devouring his breakfast while the other two ate in a more dignified manner. "You shouldn't eat so fast, Squ-chan; it's bad for your health."

"Shut the fuck up, fag! I need to leave for a fucking mission in ten minutes!" Taking notice of the boy standing behind Lussuria, Squalo's eyes widened in surprise as he choked on his meal. After coughing it up, he scowled, pointing to the blond with an accusing finger. "Voi! The fuck did you do to him, faggot?! Don't fucking convert the rest of us to your sick fucking ways!"

As calm as ever, Lussuria put a strong hand on the boy's shoulder before saying, "Bel-chan is welcome to like whatever gender he naturally does; we can't influence him, and even if we could, I'm sure he would turn out to like girls if that were the case."

"Voi! I don't even want to think about that little shit with a fucking _girl; _that's disgusting!" Scrunching his face up in distaste, Squalo glanced at Levi as the other agreed with him. "You shut it, too, goat-fucker!"

"So you really like _men _if you think girls are disgusting?" A smirk crept onto Lussuria's face as he absentmindedly wrapped his arms around the Storm Guardian who was moving closer to him, seemingly distressed by something or other.

"Voi! Fuck no! But _him _with _anyone _is fucking foul!"

"Bel-chan is a teenager; he will want to be with someone one day, and even if _you _won't, I will support him in whoever he chooses to have his first time with, male or female. Bel-chan has just as much right to have sex as the rest of us."

Mammon, who had stayed so quiet during this conversation, floated over to the boy. She sat on top of his head like she was accustomed to doing, as relaxed as ever. "You two are the only ones treating this like a problem. Grow up. Bel can't help who he's attracted to; don't make him feel bad for something he has no control over, or I'll fine you for more money than you can afford."

"What the fuck's going on in here?"

All eyes turned at Xanxus' voice, finding the man stomping into the room with an agitated look on his face.

"Trying to fucking sleep and all I can hear is you lot yakking." Moving towards his second-in-command, Xanxus gripped long hair and slammed the younger male's face into the table. "Shut the fuck up, loudmouth shark."

A small sound escaped Bel's lips at the sight of Xanxus. He pulled away from Lussuria in order to head to the stronger man's side, reaching out to tug on the other's sleeve and grab his boss' attention.

Xanxus turned around with a growl, his mouth open to say something, only to stop at the sight of the boy with his arms in the air, wanting to be picked up. He couldn't help but find the younger's attire arousing, having never considered the blond in a dress before - to his shock, it looked good on him.

"..." Xanxus circled around the boy like a predatory animal, licking his lips as he drank in the other's appearance. He cared nothing for the other members watching him, knowing that if they had a problem with his actions, he could just shoot them and be done with it. Reaching down, he pressed his palm flat against the youngest's rear.

"What the fuck?!" Squalo slammed his hands on the table as he got to his feet, his face paling in disgust. "Voi! You shitty boss, get your fucking hands off him! Go grope a fucking woman or something; anything but _that _thing!"

Xanxus shot his Rain Guardian a filthy glare, reaching down to grab one of his guns. He pointed it at the long-haired man, his finger on the trigger as his red eyes conveyed nothing but anger. "Tell me my fucking business again and I will pull the fucking trigger, scum."

Squalo gulped as he backed down, knowing to pick fights with anyone but his boss. "..."

Xanxus turned his attention back to the boy, squeezing the yielding flesh roughly. He smirked as he drew a soft gasp from Bel, kneeling down in order to get a closer look. Lifting the hem of the dress, the man licked his lips as he eyed off the small bulge in the blond's underwear.

"You are mine, trash," Xanxus hissed, bringing his hand forward in order to grab the flaccid shaft before him. He gripped it in a rough manner that bordered on painful, a burning look crossing his eyes. "You belong to _me; _you were mine the second you became my subordinate, and I have priority to your body whenever I want it. Your body is my property and I can use it however I want."

Bel's mouth drew a straight line, his hazy mind not quite understanding what had been said to him; he just wrapped his arms around the other, resting his head against the man's strong shoulder. He didn't know what to make of the hand touching him in places, in ways he had never touched himself before, but he found he didn't mind the contact; it was slightly pleasurable to him, sending sensations he had never experienced down his spine.

Xanxus said nothing about the Storm Guardian embracing him; he simply picked the boy up and threw him over his shoulder, taking him out of the kitchen and up to his bedroom. He didn't hesitate to toss the blond onto his luxurious bed the second they entered the room, and it aroused him to no end to be the one ripping the dress off the scrawny body and forcing himself into it without care.

The screams of pain Bel made at the unprepared intrusion were music to the man's ears, and though he wasn't usually one to care for his bed-partner's pleasure, he eventually found his frenzied act of intercourse slowing into a calm manner when Bel's cries turned into pleasured murmurs and quiet moans. That silky voice made Xanxus harder than anything else ever had, the flushed, sweaty face of the teenager more attractive than anyone else he had been with, and when he came, he came hard.

Was it because of reasons purely physical? Or was it because all of these things were somewhat soothing to the man in ways he didn't understand? It was as if the blond's presence was enough to calm the rage he was usually in, but why had this never happened until now? Was it because he had never slept with his Storm Guardian before?

Whatever the reason, Xanxus refused to think too much on it and locked it away in the back of his mind.

Bel's chest rose and fell harshly as he came down from his own high, his head turned so that he could stare at Xanxus. His expression was unreadable, but whatever was going through his mind must have been something pleasant as he soon dragged himself closer to his boss, cuddling in against the strong chest.

"Xan...xus..." Bel yawned as he dropped his head against Xanxus' ribcage, listening to the steady beating of the other's heart. His thin fingers played with the sheets beneath their bodies, his eyes too heavy to hold open any longer; allowing them to slip closed, Bel was ready to fall asleep. "Xan...xus..."

Xanxus growled as he pushed the other away, about to open his mouth to tell the other to piss off, but he quietened himself as Bel whimpered and closed the distance between them again; the dark-haired man was a cold, uncaring lover, and never before had he allowed others to snuggle against him like this, but he had just stolen the younger's virginity when the blond probably didn't even know what was happening, and yet... Bel still wanted his attention. He was used to his lovers fawning over him, trying to give him attention when it wasn't wanted, and it had always pissed the man off more than anything. But Bel...

Bel was simply content listening to his heartbeat while he drifted off into sleep. Bel wasn't asking for anything more other than a place for him to rest his head. He didn't require any false declarations of love like so many other women the man had been with requested; all he needed was to recover from his first time having sex.

Folding his hands behind his head, Xanxus decided he would grant the boy his wish, allowing the oblivion to wash over him as well. He found that, for once in his life, a lover's presence wasn't bothering him in the least.

Instead, it was... almost relaxing. What were these new feelings Bel was invoking in him? Xanxus wasn't sure, but he knew not to let himself get too caught up in them; the boy was nothing but his tool, and there needn't be any emotional attachments to _any _of his subordinates, especially not one like _Bel._


	5. Chapter 5

When Xanxus awoke later, he found Bel still curled up against him, the younger fast asleep. With a sigh, the man rolled onto his back, looking up at the roof. His movements seemed to have jostled the blond out of his sleep, because Bel was quick to sit up and look around with a confused frown on his face.

"The fuck are you still doing in here?" Xanxus eyed the boy reproachfully, tensing with irritation as his subordinate laid back down, resting his head on the other's strong chest. "Get the fuck off me!"

Bel ignored this, instead reaching out in order to tug at soft strands of raven hair. He held a gentle smile on his face as he mumbled to himself, his skinny fingers brushing against Xanxus' scalp.

"I said get off!" Xanxus roared, his fist instinctively flying out and making contact with a thin cheekbone. Bel squeaked and backed off, but just minutes later, he returned to rest against his boss. The man couldn't help but sigh, rubbing his palm against his face in annoyance. "You're still as fucking stubborn as ever, aren't you?"

Bel purred as he pressed his thin body further against Xanxus', a gentle yawn escaping his lips as he allowed himself to fall back asleep. Xanxus lay there, unmoving as to not disturb the boy's rest. He couldn't help but look at his Storm Guardian, his red orbs drinking in the other's appearance; prior to the Ring Battles, Bel had always donned a deceivingly gentle smile on his face, his mannerisms laidback. Bel _had _been rather easy-going despite the fact that he would be only too happy to slaughter one in the slowest, most painful way he knew, but right now, as the boy slept, his smile was more sincere and not filled with bloodlust; it was natural, fitting for his young age, but when he woke, it was tinged with that of a troubled child's expression, lost and wary.

Was Xanxus the reason the boy was looking so relaxed right now? It would be fitting; Bel seemed to have that same effect on him, after all.

Rolling onto his side, the Varia leader propped himself up with one elbow, reaching out in order to ghost the tips of his fingers against the younger's blond locks. Feeling the Storm Guardian stir beneath his touch, Xanxus then trailed his fingers down to a damp cheek; he didn't know why, but he had always imagined the boy's skin would be as cold as his heart – instead, he was warm, _comforting_.

Going down to the younger's torso, Xanxus etched all the scars into his mind. He knew that his Guardian had arrived here with those wounds, but why he had them he didn't know; if he asked, would he even get an answer? Would Bel even remember the reason why he had them?

Probably not.

Lowering his gaze, Xanxus had always known that Bel was skinny, but it wasn't until he was seeing the younger without clothes did he realise that he was dealing with a scrawny, underweight brat. Had he been underweight before? Unlikely; it must have been due to his new condition. But what really got the man the most was that this… this _twig _was his strongest officer, second only to Squalo; was this little boy really Xanxus' invaluable chess piece?

It was then the raven-haired male found himself pleased with his choice of subordinate; Bel was deceiving right to the end, the most deadly assassin he had in his squad – no wonder Xanxus was finding himself so intrigued; the blond was satisfying in every aspect.

Pushing himself into a sitting position, Xanxus ignored the other's unconscious whimpers for him. He got off the bed and searched for his pants, slipping them back on before he left the room and headed downstairs.

On his way to the kitchen, Xanxus ran into Mammon, the Arcobaleno floating along by his side. The boss wasn't too bothered by this, the baby never having much to say and usually keeping quiet.

"Where's Bel?" Mammon was unfazed by her boss' shirtless appearance, already knowing the answer; she had been walking past the man's room and heard Bel's whimpers and murmurs, accompanied by Xanxus' grunts.

A baby she was, but she wasn't stupid nor naïve.

"Sleeping." Reaching out to grip the handle of the kitchen door, Xanxus yanked it open roughly. Stepping inside, he glared at the cooks before growling, "Make as much sushi as you can and have it delivered to my room."

The cooks cowered but didn't hesitate to agree, knowing what the penalty would be if they so much as questioned the orders; it would be nothing pleasant, that was for sure.

Mammon, ever observant, followed her boss back out of the kitchen. "Are you feeding Bel?"

"What do you think, baby?" Xanxus growled, his eyes narrowing in agitation. "I don't eat the shit."

"What is he to you?" Mammon had never seen this side to Xanxus before, knowing he didn't have decency inside of him; just anger and hatred.

Why would that change for a brat who gave him more trouble than he was worth?

Xanxus snorted. "Trash. He works for me; I have access to whatever I want from him, even if he will not willingly give it to me. I will take what I want from him by force if I have to. His body, his will and his mind belong solely to me and _only _me."

Mammon couldn't say she liked this; Bel was her friend, and she hated to hear how Xanxus was taking advantage of his damaged state; the blond deserved a bit of love, not pure lust. "You're going to hurt him."

Xanxus cared nothing for these words; he simply continued on with his task of returning to his bedroom. "Follow me into my room, baby, and the last thing you'll see is my gun in your face."

Mammon stopped, knowing the man wouldn't hesitate to do so. She watched him begin to ascend the stairs, waiting until he was out of sight before she shook her head and went to the living room; hopefully Bel would still be able to take care of himself if he had to, or would get better soon.

The Arcobaleno rarely held ill feelings towards Xanxus, but now was one of those times she was disgusted by his behaviour; he was taking advantage of his under-aged, incapacitated subordinate, and she couldn't think of many things that were worse than that.

_**~~XX~~**_

Closing his bedroom door behind him, Xanxus kicked off his pants before returning to his bed. Crawling onto the mattress, he made his way back to where he had been lying previously, pulling the blond into his arms. Letting the sleeping boy lean against him, Xanxus couldn't help but admire how well his subordinate fit into his hold.

Leaning down, the man brushed the tip of his nose against the boy's neck, taking in the soft scent of strawberries. Baring his teeth, he then bit down on the pale skin, biting hard enough to draw blood.

Bel yelped as he was startled into consciousness, trying to turn his head up to look at who was biting him. He whimpered as he felt his wound being sucked on, wincing when Xanxus moved to a new patch of skin and repeated the process.

After creating a field of bloodied love bites, Xanxus pulled back to admire his handiwork. He found Bel staring up at him with a frightened look on his face, and it made the man smirk in mock-comfort. "I think I had better show everyone that you're mine."

If Bel had understood these words, he showed no emotion; he simply lay back down on the mattress when Xanxus put him onto it, watching as the Sky Guardian got off the bed again in order to grab one of his guns.

"Xanxus..." Bel pulled the blankets up to his chin, feeling apprehensive about the gun; there were vague snippets in his memory of said guns, and even though he couldn't remember anything clearly, he could recall a sense of fear from said recollections.

Kneeling on the edge of the bed, the man gestured for Bel to approach him. The boy hesitated before he dropped the blankets and rolled onto his side, slowly crawling closer to the other. He flinched when a large hand reached out and rested on his cheek, his eyes drawing onto the gun warily.

"Hold still." Focusing all of his flame into his weapon, Xanxus created a burning hot X out of the tip. He sneered before slowly lowering the flame towards Bel's neck, amused by the soft whimpers the younger made as he tried to pull away.

"N-no..." Bel's obscured eyes widened and a scream ripped itself from his throat as the flame burnt his neck. He swore he could feel his skin melting beneath the touch, and the loud hiss and sizzle was enough to alert him to the steam wafting past his face. With teary eyes, Bel looked up at Xanxus, not understanding; why had the other done this to him?

Xanxus pulled the gun away after a few seconds before adding another X to the other side. Once he was done, he looked over his work, immensely pleased by the branding he had gifted the younger with. "There. Now everyone will know to stay the fuck away from you."

Bel sniffed and hiccupped as tears ran down his face, staying still; he wasn't sure what to expect now, and he didn't want to have to feel that pain again.

Xanxus reached out, wiping the tears away with his thumb. He then wrapped his arm around shaking shoulders, pulling the thin body against him. "It's done. You're mine now; no one can hurt you but me. Stop crying."

Burying his face in against the man's chest, Bel continued to sob, not understanding the pain he had been dealt; what had he done to have that happen to him?

With a sigh, Xanxus leant back against the headboard, allowing the younger to cuddle again him. Waiting impatiently for the sushi to arrive, he listened in silence as Bel slowly stopped crying, not understanding why it bothered him to know that _he _was the reason the blond was in tears.

Had he grown soft after fighting that Vongola weakling? Caught Sawada Tsunayoshi's coward disease? One thing was for sure; if Xanxus wasn't careful, he would start acting like the Vongola Tenth, and that was something to avoid at all costs; subordinates were easily able to be replaced, so if all of his core members were to be wiped out, there was no use caring; all he had to do was replace them with even stronger members.

Emotional attachments were something Xanxus refused to have, wanting only the strongest. He would be betraying his own ideology if he were to suddenly start caring about the others.

But the question still remained; why did Xanxus feel his chest twinge at the knowledge of being the one to make Bel cry? The Storm Guardian certainly was a confusing one, that was for sure.


End file.
